Reviews

There aren't many bands that have become so popular as fast as Imagine Dragons has. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Las Vegas band took the world by storm with their four consecutive hit singles “It's Time,” “Radioactive,” “On Top of the World,” and “Demons.” Along with constant radio airplay, the band has been nominated and won awards around the world, including an American Music Award, a Grammy, five Billboard awards, and a World Music Award. Forming in 2008, Imagine Dragons released two EPs before signing to Interscope Records in 2011.…

I first encountered Allen Hulsey early on in 2014, on the recommendation of well-known Istanbul music maven, Secil Sonmez. There was a musician, new to Istanbul, whom I simply must check out. There was Hulsey in the YouTube video, be-stooled, just t-shirt, acoustic guitar and all Michael Hutchence/Jeff Buckley rock star looks...the song he was delivering though was real, bare, honest and fresh. We then went along to Besiktas district’s main live venue, Mutfak Sahne (Kitchen Stage) to see Hulsey and his band live. It was a frenetic, committed, energy-packed…

Duke Dumont is an English house and electronic music producer and DJ known for last year’s hit “Need You (100%),” which saw him gain a Grammy nod while it climbed the charts in the U.K. and other European countries. Recognition has eluded the DJ thus far in the U.S., but his upcoming debut record could break ground in America if he’s able to make the changes necessary to the no-longer-novel EDM formula. READ MORE

Tonight Alive has been making a name for themselves in the pop-punk scene for years. Their music has already gotten them placements in television shows and movie soundtracks, most recently having their song “The Edge” included in the film “The Amazing Spiderman 2.” They have been touring all over the world with some of the most well known names in the scene, including 3oh!3, The Wonder Years, Simple Plan, and Taking Back Sunday, just to name a few. Formed in Sydney, Australia in 2008, Tonight Alive made a splash right…

Ian Crause is the Essex-originated, verbose, acerbic, literate brain behind the post-rock cacophony that was Disco Inferno, later with Floorshow, and now solo. Crause’s semi-spoken word delivery confronted politics and contemporary urban life in a kind of schizoid, pre-or-proto Albarn/Skinner estuarine drawl – solo is a more mellifluous affair, the scope wider. Crause straddles a place between the old school values of hip hop, experimentation and politicised polemic and neoliberal contemporary vagary. The sound of Disco Inferno’s sophomore album, D.I. Go Pop, was as wry as anything they made –…

Daryl Hall and John Oates have been fortunate enough to have a long and successful career. Putting out hit after hit for the last four decades as Hall & Oates, the duo is still influencing fans and artists all over the world. Best known for songs like “You Make My Dreams,” “Rich Girl,” “Kiss on My List,” “Maneater,” “Private Eyes,” and more, Hall & Oates got their start in Philadelphia in the 1970s. Over the last 40 years, Hall & Oates has released 16 studio albums of original songs, 11…

Olivia JannuzziNew Sound MagazineSigma – Check It Out British drum and bass duo Sigma is definitely worth checking out. Made up of Cameron Edwards and Joe Lenzie, this pair made it into the spotlight when their single, "Lassitude," made it to spot 98 on the UK Singles Chart.Drum and Bass is a type of electronic dance music with super-fast backbeats and heavy bass lines.The duo met at Leeds University in 2006, and moved to London to chase their musical passion. Back then, Sigma was a three-person group, but due to long distances, former member Ben Mauerhoff left. Not long after,…

Echosmithby Elise Yablon By now, you have most likely heard the song "Cool Kids," the immensely catchy and extremely popular single from young family band Echosmith. The song has garnered the band a lot of attention as of late, with copious amounts of radio airplay and tours with well known artists such as Owl City, Neon Trees, and Twenty One Pilots, and two back-to-back stints on the Vans Warped Tour. Not bad for a band who's oldest member is barely 21. Echosmith are a family band consisting of brothers Jamie (guitar/vocals), Noah (bass/vocals), and Graham Sierota (drums), and fronted by…

You Me At Sixby Elise Yablon You Me At Six have been gaining popularity within their native UK for years. With three gold-certified albums in their home country, it is no surprise that their latest album, Cavalier Youth, reached number one in the UK charts during it's release week. The band has been gracing the pages of rock mags, such as Kerrang! and Alternative Press, for years and have even headlined a sold-out show at Wembley Arena. Now the band is bringing their success with them to the United States. In fact, the band has already been making an impressive…

Olivia JannuzziNewsound MagazineOAR Feature O.A.R, or "Of a Revolution," is a band that has probably been on your radar for quite some time. In the early 00's, this band had seen much commercial success. You probably know them from their two biggest hits, "Love and Memories" and "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" which has played countless times on the radio airwaves and some movies. The Rockville, Maryland band formed in 1996, and is made up of members Marc Roberge (lead vocalist/guitar), Chris Culos (drums), Richard On (guitar), Benj Gershman (bass), and Jerry DePizzo (saxophone/guitar).With 8 studio albums and 5 live…

he Mastby Kevin Boyle The New York music scene has been at the cutting edge of American music for an insanely long time, (example: The New York Dolls were punk before The Sex Pistols). The city has a great tradition of experimentation: how else can The Strokes, Interpol, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs come out of the same scene and sound completely unique from each other? The Mast, an electronic duo from Brooklyn, made up of multi-instrumentalist Matt Kilmer and singer Haleh Gafori, aim to continue this great tradition.Beginning with their debut album, 2011's Wild Poppies, The Mast marked themselves…

Standing in the parking lot of Soul Sound Records: record store by day, garage band venue by night, I can hear the final band playing the last songs of the night. I was lucky enough to be joined by Lucas Restivo, guitarist of Grandview, whose set had just ended. He's a little sweaty, his hair greasy, and he was clearly exhausted. It had been a whole month of touring around the country, sleeping in a mini-van named Rhonda, washing in Walmart's, and finally, it was their final tour night until they headed back home to deeply missed beds in Burlington,…

Mark Morriss was the frontman of late Britpop stars The Bluetones, who formed in Hounslow, London in 1993. After a handful of albums and their split in 2011, Morriss has been pursuing his own solo career. In 1996, The Bluetones' second single, “Slight Return,” crashed into the Top 40 at number two, amidst the crackling of “Firestarter” from The Prodigy and “Born Slippy” by Underworld, post-rave, post-Britpop monsters, and only kept off the top by Babylon Zoo’s androgyne nu-glam “Spaceman.” For a very curious public, it seemed like a true indie band, integrity intact after all the Britpop exploitation, had…

Brooklyn band Javelin are a rare thing in today’s music industry: lifelong collaborators. As cousins, George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk have been creating music together since childhood which has culminated in the formation of Javelin. Both men, who play an insane amount of instruments between them (guitar, bass guitar, drums, mandolin, cello, and piano), craft incredible pop songs inspired by everything from electronica to old school eighties hip hop. Their first release was the self-produced Jamz n Jemz, featuring the laid back “Tu Machina,” followed by two 12 inch Eps from 2008 to 2010. Like much of their early…

We have all heard of the term “triple threat” before, which is already impressive. However, the multitalented artist Kiesza should have her own definition of the work she has done, with her various skills and accomplishments. Born Kiesa Rae Ellestad, the singer-songwriter, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist is better known as Kiesza (pronounced Kye-za), her stage name. Outside of her love for music, other occupations of the 25 year old artist include acting, modeling, fashion designing, athletics, and video directing her own music videos. Kiesza was born and raised in Calgary, Canada, and later obtained a scholarship to attend Berklee College of…